An Algonquin woman is in deep doo doo with police after hiding a privately-owned dog waste receptacle in her garage.

Carrie Fosdale, 45, has been charged with theft under $300 in the bizarre incident.

The single mother of three admits to removing the basket portion of the device and putting it in her garage because its owner, the Old Oak Homeowners' Association, wasn't responding to her concerns about its proximity to her home.

Fosdale will appear in court on the charge Wednesday and is none too pleased about the situation.

"There's far more important things going on in this world...and I have to be prosecuted for removing a basket full of dog poop," she said.

The association installed a pair of dog waste receptacles on its property in October in response to complaints about people not picking up after their pooches in the Old Oak subdivision.

Fosdale, who has lived in the subdivision for nearly four years, became irritated when one of them ended up about 25 feet away from her house. She fears the receptacle - and its contents - will emit a foul stench and draw flies, threatening her health and quality of life.

Her anger swelled, she said, when none of the association board members responded to her e-mails and letters asking why they put the contraption near her house.

So, she took the law into her own hands.

"In protest, I did take the basket until it was resolved," Fosdale said.

Algonquin Deputy Police Chief Ed Urban said the basket was reported stolen Oct. 22 and it may have disappeared as early as Oct. 9.

Police wanted to help Fosdale and the homeowners' association settle their differences, but representatives from the association refused to talk it out, opting instead to press charges, Urban said.

"In some cases we try to resolve stuff, but if people want something done, we follow their request," he said.

Association President Shelly Walenga could not be reached for comment.

Charges were filed Nov. 12 and Fosdale turned herself in a week later on the subsequent warrant.

She faces up to a year in jail and $2,500 fine if convicted on the misdemeanor theft charge.

Meanwhile, village officials say the association didn't break local laws when it put up the containers.

Community Development Director Russ Farnum said they would only pose a health concern if the association didn't empty their contents in a timely fashion.

"If it becomes a stinky, putrid mess, then we'll have to take action," he said. "Simply the presence of a container isn't a violation of our code."